A hospital in the central beach town of Nha Trang said on Wednesday that doctors have successfully performed a procedure to repair the cervical spine for a Russian tourist who had his neck broken when swimming.

News website VnExpress reported that Denis Gurov, 33, and his friends reportedly came to a beach on Tran Phu Street to swim on Monday.

A strong wave hit him and knocked him down.

He was unable to move and washed away from shore.

His friends tried to approach him but another wave, around two meters high, made them unable to swim further.

Beach guards with lifebuoys managed to approach the Russian tourist and pulled him ashore.

He was paralyzed and suffered from a cervical spine fracture.

He is now recovering after the surgery at the Khanh Hoa Province General Hospital.

Nha Trang authorities said the rainy season had caused rough seas with strong and dangerous waves, so they had assigned more guards to the crowded beaches.